No comments about Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists: On & Off the Tour With Gary McCord.

No comments about Sam Houston.

No comments about Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain's Queen (Unabridged).

No comments about Escape from the Terror (The Classic Diary Collection).

5 comments about Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found.

1. I received a copy of this book along with enthusiastic reviews from two of my co-workers. I both expected and wanted to share their enthusiasm, but for me the book lacked credibility. The first section of the book dealing with her mother's progressive illness, her brother's anger, and her father's growing physical and emotional absence resonated with me. However, the later parts of the book concerning her relationship with her stepmother and her abandonment in the commune seem so exaggerated as to be false. (What about her elementary school teachers? Would they be indifferent to her absences, illnesses and obvious neglect?) I doubt very much that the author has verified her account either by interviewing any of the other participants or revisiting any of the places in the story. For me, this tarnishes what should be a powerful story of overcoming loss, anger and estrangement and abuses the term "memoir". I suspect that had this been submitted to her publishers as a work of fiction, Ms. Lauck's editor would have demanded a "truer" story.



2. This book was simply amazing... As a person that has had the chance to meet Jennifer and talk to her the book it just makes it that much more amazing. This story is all true and it is amazing that one person can go through so much.



3. I kept thinking, "This has to get better, this downward spiral can't continue."
   
   And yet it does. And it does again, and oh Lordy, not again... and yes, there it goes again.
   
   Ms. Lauck's beautiful writing is what carried me through. I tried to read this title once and had to set it down, it was simply too much heartache encapsulated in one read for me. On my second attempt, I devoured it in three days and I am hungry to read the sequel.
   
   Many of the reviewers here have synopsized the story of "Blackbird" - Jennifer Lauck's story opens as she is a little girl, preschool aged child, with a very sick Mommy and simply doing the best she can - idolizing and learning from her Mommy, quoting her Mommy's favorite self-care mantras... and attempting to understand what is happening while following the rules-of-life-according-to-Mama.
   
   Her handsome, hardworking Daddy does what he can, and little Jenny (who he calls Juniper) does her best to keep things afloat even when Mama dies and brother Bryan creates mayhem and insta-wicked-step-Mom sends her to a cult camp... it is one sad (yet life-affirming, somehow) tale after another until at the very end when fate turns... or so we hope.
   
   Fabulous writing from a child's point of view.... and if it is hard for you to get through on your first attempt, try again later. You will be glad that you did.



4. Jennifer's memories of her childhood contains the detail and emotion that captures readers and draws them into her early life. At a too-young age, she assumes much of the care of her terminally ill mother. You are drawn into the vivid scenes of her mother's illness, the all-too-brief attention from her father and the cruelties of her brother.
   Her life becomes increasingly difficult as first her mother dies, her father remarries and the stepmother resents and mistreats her. After her father's heart attack, Jennifer suffers greatly from neglect and malice from her stepmother and step-siblings.
   You can't stop reading, but at times it is hard to keep going as you relive her life through her words. You fear for the child and hope it doesn't get worse, but it does. If you've read The Glass Castle and Angela's Ashes, then add this book to your reading list. It's a memorable account of a dreadful childhood and the ability to endure and overcome hardship.



5. I this book inspired me. If a 11 year old girl can move her own bedroom furniture a crossed town all by herself then I can surely handle things in my life! I fully intend on getting the next book in the series to see how Juniper handles the next years of her life.

5 comments about The Diaries of Kenneth Tynan.

1. I suggest reading this as a cautionary tale: how a man with so much promise, talent and intelligence, saddled with insecurities and a taste for hedonism, left him broke and feeling like a failure at the end of his life. How terribly tragic. But this book is definitely not a downer.
   
   However, knowing that Kenneth Tynan was a British literary critic, I had reservations about delving into this. I thought it could be a very dry read. Instead, it turned out to be laugh out loud funny, with some serious dish about famous people (the man knew EVERYBODY) and at the same time introspective and melancholic. This book is not for everybody, but for those with a love of brilliant prose and serious wit, the rewards are rich. - Susan Sayles



2. From THE DIARIES OF KENNETH TYNAN: "Whenever we solve the problem of dreams, we shall not be far from solving the root problems of human identity and creativity. Has anyone noticed the really inexplicable thing about our nightly narrative tapes? They have suspense. This occurred to me last night, when I was involved in a Hitchcock-type chase dream---in which, I suddenly realised, I did not know what was going to happen next. I did not know who would be lurking behind the next door; and I wanted desperately to know. What part of one's mind is it that harbours secrets unknown even to the unconscious? (For in dreams we are surely privy to the unconscious in full flood.) The theory that in dreams we tap a source of energy outside the individual psyche is powerfully reinforced by the presence of suspense."
   
   After Tynan left his job as dramaturg at the National Theatre, he pretty much floundered around for the rest of his life. I wish he had gone back to doing theater reviews. But I guess he was burned out on theater. Maybe he grew bored with the very medium of theater. He said he was profoundly bored with everything ("I shall die writhing in apathy"), but I'm not too convinced of that claim. I wish he had felt an artistic duty to his audience and had then carried out that duty. While reading this thing, I had an overwhelming urge to slap that cigarette out of his mouth and that hairbrush out of his hand and to sternly command him to "do do that voodoo that you do so well".



3. I remember Kenneth Tynan from an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show shortly before his 1980 death. Until this book, I was unfamiliar with his work. Now I see what I was missing.
   
   Not only was Tynan a highly skilled writer of prose, but as a critic he saw things for what they were, even if the majority disagreed. He gives Warren Beatty's pretentious and mystifyingly overrated film Shampoo the swift kick to the rear that it deserves, and even finds a fault with Paddy Cheyefsky's Network that I had not detected prior to reading his assessment of the film in his diaries. Tynan also has his say on economics ("Inflation rides high and I believe intentionally" he writes in 1973) and a myriad of other subjects including his preoccupation with spanking.
   
   Overall, these diaries reveal a melancholy soul who found some solace in writing about his life and its disappointments in his journal. Most published diaries promise more than they deliver. Not Tynan's. His diaries are a compelling read.



4. Kenneth Tynan was a marvellous journalist. There is no-one writing for magazines or newspapers today (perhaps with the exception of Christopher Hitchens) who can so readily draw upon an apparently limitless well of wit, and do so in perfect sentences. All of his books are worth reading if you can find them second-hand: his early collection of drama criticism, 'Curtains', and the collection 'Profiles', are probably the places to start. For devotees of Tynan, who bemoan the paucity of his output in the last fifteen years of his life, the Diaries, splendidly introduced by John Lahr, can prove very frustrating. It seems everything conspired against Ken sitting in front of the typewriter and working his magic. His health was abysmal -- emphysema worsened by a heavy cigarette habit; he was preoccupied by a strange strain of socialism, which allows him to finish one entry with a call for action on the part of the workers and begin the next with an account of a tour through France, eating at three-star Michelin restaurants all the way; and he was rather excessively waylaid by a spanking-based dalliance with a mistress. That he managed to eke out portions of 'The Sound of Two Hands Clapping' and the profiles collected in 'Show People' is, on the evidence of the diaries, something of a miracle.

   The diaries themselves make for very entertaining reading. There is plenty of celebrity gossip and, as befits writing not meant for public consumption, a good deal of invective. Sir Peter Hall, referred to throughout as 'P. Hall' is dealt with particularly harshly, and the relationship between Laurence Olivier and Tynan is fraught with ambiguity. There is also Tynan's almost comical political naivete; while there is certainly much that can be said for socialism and sexual liberation, Tynan's blatant hypocrisy (there are several references to his employing servants and nannies) and his very middle-class hatred of anything at all tainted by being middle-class, does not make for a convincing advertisement. I can only imagine how awful his 'spanking film', which he spends several years trying to find backers for, would have been. But these are, believe it or not, minor cavils, and actually add to the enjoyment of looking over Tynan's shoulder as he unburdens himself of his daily thoughts. (He certainly does not let himself off lightly, frequently despairing over his lassitude.) And the concluding entries, shadowed as they are by the reader's (and Tynan's) knowledge of his imminent death, are genuinely moving. I trust and hope there is more Tynan to be reissued soon. He's a fine companion.




5. To paraphrase another wit: This is some of the best fun you can have with your clothes still on. Was Kenneth Tynan the most sophisticated and intelligent critic of his generation? It's hard to think that he wasn't, especially after reading these diaries. Not only does he give you a grand notion of what theater can be, but he also gives you a guided tour of the international theater scene in the late twentieth century. What a grand tonic his intellectually sharp viper tongue is in these days of spineless critics. Bravo!

1 comments about Colin Powell (Black Americans of Achievement).

1. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK I think anyone would love to read it.
   It's about Colin Powell. He was a good man and son.Many people loved him. Colin Powell was a very hard worker even when he was at school.He was a good friend and dad. At frist I didn't likeit because I don't like to read.But as I started to read it, I became to like itand so I finished the whole book!

   I'm sure you will like the book too.

1 comments about Butter in the Well (Butter in the Well Series).

1. One of the best "first settler" accounts I've ever read! Hubalek's story of Swedish immigrant, Kajsa, who settled in Central Kansas was riveting. I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole book. Stories of rattlesnakes coming through the dugout ceiling, prairie fires, the joys of newborn babies and the heartaches of losing loved ones.... Reading Hubalek's book shows that starting life as a homesteader was very tough, and the story was so real that I was working the sod right with her. Be sure to read the whole 4-book series, and her other two series as well.

No comments about Fragile Paradise: Library Edition.

5 comments about My Story.

1. I liked this book, although it did seem Ferguson seems to be feeling sorry for herself and putting herself down through most of it & making lots of excuses for her behavior. However, it was very interesting to hear a behind the scene perspective from one who used to be part of the royal family & how the courtiers try to rule the palace and court. A good read for those who love bios or books on Britian's royal family.



2. Highly readable and I came away with a new respect for the Duchess. Too bad Andrew can't come to America, re-marry Sarah and live incognito. A must read for anyone who sympathizes with the Duchess.



3. As a lover of biographies this one was not about a person who achieved greatness through some great talent but was more a chronicle of the ups and downs of life in the house of Windsor. I think that red headed exuberant Sarah caught our attention twenty years ago when we watched her walk down the aisle with her prince and we all thought it was sort of neat that a real person was in this situation. I think that this is a lady who is VERY media savvy and knows how to market herself but there is still something rather refreshing at her forays into writing, her ability to fly a plane and her trek across the deserts of Quatar on horseback. I am not an unabashed fan but I was interested enough to read this book. It was enjoyable but also a little self absorbed. Like it's subject, a bit contradictory.



4. Unlike the previous reader, I really enjoyed this book and came away with real affection and admiration for the Duchess of York. Admittedly, certain things are left out, but that's probably as much to do with protecting others as about Sarah's own feelings. Let's face it, a no holds barred 'kiss and tell' story would hardly be dignified coming from a former Royal Duchess.
   
   I've read the two books by Starkie and vasso, and even if everything they say is true, I still see Sarah as a flawed but fundamentally decent person. She may have been a little naive about the demands of her position, but royalty would be an alien condition to most people who are not born into it. She's made mistakes as we all have, and its how you learn from them that counts. Though extra marital affairs are not to be treated lightly, we should remember that Andrew spent months away from his wife, abondoning her in an environment in which her Royal status isolated her from emotional contact. Her romantic encounters can be seen as a search for support and self-affirmation.
   
   The suggestion that she is in any way a bad mother I find incredible. One thing that comes over loud and clear in the book is Beatrice and Eugenie mean more to her than anything - she loves those girls. Sarah has been constantly victimised over the years and deserves some sympathy and understanding. Her charity work alone demands respect, and her work with Weightwatchers makes her a constant inspiration to many people. She has turned her life around and good luck to her.
   
   To read Sarah's point of view, read this book. Approach it with an open mind and you'll find an engrossing and inspiring story of a woman struggling againstlow self-esteem, press hostility and the demands of her Royal status. Look at her now - I think she won the battle.



5. If you're going to tell "your story", then you should tell the whole story, not half of it.
   
   Fergie would have us believe that in a country where prominence and position mean EVERYTHING, that it meant nothing to her from going to an unattractive, overweight, needly, penniless NOBODY to becoming a Royal Duchess. Give me a break girl. While there's no doubt she really loved Andrew, she most certainly also loved all the perks of being considered "royal". Unfortunately, she didn't like the self-discipline and responsibility that went along with it.
   
   She was, and is to this day, a TERRIBLE mother. It seems to run in her family: her grandmother was a lousy mother, Fergie's own mother took off with another man half way around the world and literally abandonned her own children. She tells of skiing down a "black run" when she was 5 months pregnant with Beatrice and falls down. What kind of person would ever risk miscarrying their child by doing something so insane??!! In this book she tried blaming the Grey Men for her decision to leave Beatrice when she was 6 weeks old for her trip to Australia, but by her own admission, she never listened to them when they gave her any other advice, so why did she listen to them then? Obviously she didn't WANT to take the baby with her, another indication of her extremely poor mothering skills.
   
   And she out and out lied about her relationship with Steve Wyatt. In this book she says that they were "just friends" which is simply not true. Madame Vasso, Lesley Player, Allan Starkie, John Bryan among other all verified independently that she had an intense sexual relationship with Steve Wyatt. She glosses over this fact in her book when she claims that "a friend" asked her to receive Dr. Salaman Rushdi for a brief drink at the palace. She neglects to say that this "friend" was her lover, Steve Wyatt. And if they were "just friends" as she claims, then why did she have to have his apartment (or "Flat") "searched from top to bottom" when he moved out? She said that it was the "danger of a frame up" and indeed there were more than 100 pictures taken of her and Steve Wyatt that proved to be her downfall found in the apartment. And if she was "just friends" with him, then there should have been absolutely NOTHING that would indict her in an extra marital affair.
   
   I think the answer lies in Allan Starkie's book "Fergie--Her Secret Life". He tells of her lying to anyone and everyone about everything and this is her greatest weakness: she's a liar.
   
   Once again, it's not surprising really, given her upbringing. Her mother abandons her, her father was a complete loser pig, so it's no surprise that she turned out this way too.
   
   Fergie was a disaster for the Royal Family and is still, to this day, nothing more than trailor trash.